Had a bit of a panic last week as I was peeing blood and when I googled it I learned that either my kidneys had packed up or I had cancer both of which I might die from! So in a bit of a state I got an appointment with a doctor in Lambourn who told me to bring a sample down.I didn't have a test tube so I put my sample in a champagne flute with some cling film on the top.I walked into the surgery waiting room and half of Lambourn were sitting there wanting to know what I had come in for so I told them it was nothing serious but I did get some funny looks as I was clutching my champagne flute! I eventually saw the Doctor who put a litmus paper into my sample and said it looked OK. She then asked me if I had eaten any beetroot and realising  that I had I felt like a real plonker!
We had a few runners last week and I think Some Kinda Lama was a little unlucky not to win as he was a fast finishing 2nd. We ran Morney Wing in The Eider and he never got put in the race which was disapointing as we had layed him out for the race quite a while ago.
We have a few entries this week and could do with a winner as we've had a lot of 2nds lately and it would be nice to go one better.
Everyone is getting geared up for Cheltenham and all the last trial races have been run so the picture is getting a bit clearer as to what races which horses will run in. Poor old Barry Geraghty is not going to make it as he had a horrible fall on Saturday at Kempton and broke some ribs and punctured a lung. As the whole year is geared for those four days in March it must be very frustrating for him.

Well we have at long last started to have some runners again thank God as I was getting very bored.We ran Like The Sound at Kempton on Friday in a very competitive novice hurdle and he ran a cracker to be 2nd .He will make a lovely novice chaser next season. We ran Royals And Rebels in his first chase at Plumpton yesterday and he jumped well to finish 2nd and will come on for the race as he has just had his wind done.We also ran Wishicould in her first handicap hurdle and she also finished 2nd so they're in form but it would be nice to get a winner!
Our next runner is Cody Wyoming in the Royal Artillery Gold Cup at Sandown on Friday which have to be ridden by soldiers or ex ones. We have got the services of Jody Sole who has won the race a few times and is definately one of the more competitive riders.
I have spent most of the morning opening my Valentine cards which does restore my faith in human nature after last years fun and games!
We are launching the new 25 club and we have had a very good response so far which is very exciting and if anyone wants some info on it just drop us a line.

We have had a very quiet time lately mainly through lack of horses which is frustrating as we are having a good season. I am trying to get the numbers up for next season and I have launched The 25 Club with the intention of buying four nice horses that can compete at a decent level.We have had a fair bit of interest and anyone that would like a brochure just drop us a line.
We should get a bit busier soon as we worked a lot more horses last week and one or two of them may get entries next week.
I stayed with my brother Robbie at the weekend as it was our sister Victoria's 50th and we all got together at Horncliffe to celebrate. It all went really well and we came back down the A1 with a serious headache.
A lot of people did a dry January which I've never understood as it's the most miserable month of the year and I can't understand why anyone would want to make it even more miserable!
Doing very well on the women front right now and if my business was going as well as that I would be giving Paul Nicholls a run for his money!

We are getting a bit bored as we haven't got anything to run right now.I got back from a break to Thailand last Tuesday and was standing on the gallops the next day when it was -6 thinking why didn't I stay another week.
The cold weather has  stopped and we now have the rain which is making the ground very testing.II watched some very good racing from Cheltenham on Saturday but the whole day was marred by the death of Many Clouds which really brings to home what wonderful brave creatures we look after in our business.We all used to see him on the gallops every day with his regular rider Nathan onboard and I suppose we just took it for granted that he would be there every day.Its a very up and down game we are in and it's tragic for everyone involved with 'Clouds' but as Oliver Sherwood said this morning on the gallops 'life goes on' and he is absolutely right as it does!
I have sent out some brochures for our new club (The 25 Club) and have had a very positive response so far. So hopefully we can buy four nice horses in the spring for the club to go to war with next season and run in the better races.
All the horses are well and cantering away so should start getting busy in about two weeks.

We have had very few runners lately as we have done so many wind operations on all of them that we don,t have many to run at the moment which is a bit frustrating .
I ran Wishicould at Newbury last Wednesday and she ran a really nice race to finish third although she is crying out for three miles and should win when we find her the right race . At Wincanton on the Thursday we ran Morney Wing who was very disappointing having won his last race and was eventually pulled up.I am convinced that it was the ground that did for him as he was never travelling.
On Saturday we ran Seventh Sky in the Peter Marsh at Haydock and he never got his way as they went flat out from the start.which didn't suit him at all. There was a very expensive French horse in the race called Alary who was having his first run over here and had been hyped up as a Gold Cup contender. The horse was pulled up after which his jockey was heard to say 'I hope they kept the receipt'!
Only have Like The Sound to run in the next few days so things will be a bit quiet.
I got back this morning having had a week away to find this weather a little bit on the cold side!

We all had a very busy Christmas and just about survived. I had my ex wife,kids,sister and my divorce lawyer round for Christmas lunch and it was very jolly.
We had a few runners at Wetherby on Boxing Day but no great excitements .I ran a nice mare last Saturday called Wishicould and she ran a really good race to be placed in her first hurdle .
I had a very jolly dinner for twelve people on New Years Eve which got a bit messy in the end.I thought it would be great fun to see the New Year in by drinking champagne in my hot tub with all the others. I also thought it would be a good idea to put bubble bath into the hot tub to liven things up a bit. Well nine of us got in and although it was a bit squashed you couldn't see anyone as the foam was about five feet high! I was trying to drink a glass of Bollinger but with three inches of foam on it,it looked more like a pint of Guiness !
I got up on Sunday morning and when I opened the curtains I thought it had been snowing as my lawn was white. On closer inspection it turned out to be foam from the hot tub and a lot of it we could have built a foam man.
On Monday we went to Plumpton with Morney Wing for the Sussex National and I really fancied him as he had been acting like a two year old for the last fortnight.We had Noel Fehily riding and ground was right for him. Then Noel was stood down before the race with flu having ridden the first winner so we had to get Paddy Brennan as a last minute replacement.
Everything went well in the race he jumped beautifully and travelled easily winning fairly nicely in the end. It was a nice race to win on a Bank Holiday Monday especially as the owners are a very good bunch and have supported the yard by having three very nice horses.
We are having a good season and need to get some more horses for the next campaign. At least this year has started better than the last one!

I started the week off at Ascot sales where we sold Airpur Debois and our unbeaten hurdler Chief Bottlewasher. We didn't so much as sell them we more or less gave them away but I suppose that was their true value . I am in a very unusual position right now and one I don't think I've ever been in before and that is that I don't owe the sales companies any money as we speak so I must put that to rights.
I went to the dentist on Wednesday for a filling which cost me £240 and left thinking how can you spend so much money to be put through so much pain!
I have ridden two lots out most days last week but rode Apalis on Friday who spends most of the morning bucking.On the way back to the yard I felt my back go and found it difficult to get off the horse.I got straight into my hot tub and in 20 minutes felt like Rudolph Nureyev. Normally I use the hot tub at night and feel great when I get out but never really know whether that is because of the water or the half bottle of Sancerre that I have just got down me!
We had a very good boys dinner at mine on Saturday where we put the world to right and discussed the finer things in life.
It was a quiet week last week runners wise but we will hopefully run a few this week.